Spring-wheel



G. W. AND T. B. SHROPSHiRE.

' SPRING WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 7 i919.

1,337,569, Patented Apr. 20, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

H170 mvfrs G. W'. AND T. B. SHRUPSHIRE SPRING WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED IIIIIY 7. 1919.

Patnted Apr. 20, 1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE W. SHROPSHIRE, 0F BRANCH, AND THOMAS B. SHBOPSHIRE, OF PETERPENDER,

ARKANSAS.

SPRING-WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 20, 1920.

170 all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Geenen W. Srinorsume and THOMAS B. SHRoPsHrnn, citizens of the United States, residing at Branch and Peterpender, respectively, in the county of Franklin and State of Arkansas. have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spring-Wheels, of which the 1l'ollowing is specification.

This invention relates to resilient wheels, und more especially to those having pivoted telescoping spokes; and the object of the same broadly is to produce a wheel whose resiliency will take the place of the pneumatic tire so that a comparatively hard rubber tire or in fact a steel tire may be used instead.

It is essential in wheels of this type that the hub and rim have a certain relative movement radially, and therefore each spoke must be capable o expansion or contraction longitudinally at what would be the top and bottom of the wheel, and also those spokes at what would be the sides of the wheel must be capable of pivotal action. These essentials are brought out in the invention, and yet we have been able to use crossed spokes which are known the best to resist relative rotary movement between the hub and rim.

Another object of the invention is to employ auxiliary `means for limiting or restraining said relative rotary movement.

Yet another object is to provide spring bulers which come into action only under excessive movement ofthe hub and rim relatively.

The final object of the invention is to improve the structure of the spring spoke emplo ed.

referred details are set forth in the following specification and claims and reference is made to the drawings wherein- Figure 1 is a side elevation of this wheel with the casing plates omitted;

Fig. 2 is a verticalsection of com lete;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged side of the buffers and its stop, section through the same;

the wheel elevation of done and Fig. 4 1s a Fig 5 is an enlarged side elevation, and Fig. 6 a longitudinal section through one of the spokes;

Fig. 7 is a still further enlarged perspective detail showing the arrangement ot the spring within a spoke. 0n an axle A by means of suitable bearings is mounted a hub H with whose details of construction we are not concerned, and the hub will be loose on the axle for the front wheels of a motor vehicle or fast thereon for the drivers.

At the inner end of the hub is a drum D around which extends the usual brake band B as seen in Fig. 2. The wheel rim R may carry any appropriate tire T. All details of the parts mentioned are unimportant.

The hub of this improved wheel carries two spaced disks 1, and the rim carries an internal and preferably sinuous or corrugated Hange 2. Through holes in the corrugations thereof at intervals are pivoted the right angular outer ends or cranks 3 of the telescopic spokes best shown on Sheet 2, while the inner ends of these spokes are turned at right angles or cranked as shown at 4 and pivoted in alternate disks 1 throughout the series around the wheel` the bodies of the spokes preferably crossing each other as seen in Fig. 1. At intervals tie rods 5 project substantiallv tangentially from points near the edges of the hub plates, which latter may be slotted as seen at 6 so that the inner ends of these rods have a little play or lost mowfgrnwt` and their outer ends 7 are pivoted tothe ange 2. To exclude dust and dirtfacing or casingr plates may house the elements described. as` seenin Fig. 2. the outevlpiates 8 being in the form of rings carrietiby the rim and bent outward away each other or aneed at their inner/edgeamhile the inner plates 9 i "the hub on the outer and' bent toward each other at their outer edges into Hanges which lap those of the outerv plates. The cranks 4 on :the spokes mav well pass through the dislks and inner platesV are ringsfinclosm-g. sides eig-the disks 9.. and nuts or pins asten all parts. together. l c

The telescopicl spring spoke forming an essential element oi this invention comprises a male member l0 which is at the top in Fi 5, G and 7, its lower end being shoul ered at 11, projecting below the shoulder and by preference hooked as at 12, and the body of this member slotted longi- ,tudinally as at 13, the slot extending above and below the shoulder. rThe female ineinber 14 is tubular, and is provided at its lower end with the crank 4 above mentioned and its outer end receives the inner end of the male member `for a considerable distance. Packing 15 is provided at thc upper end portions of the female mem-ber 14. A button 16 rests on the closed end of the female member and has a hook 17, and a pair of links 18 loosely connecting this hook with that on the male nien'iber. A helical spring 19 rests on the button, surrounds the hooks and links, and rests at its upper end beneath the shoulder 11 and also against a pin 20 which extends through the female member and through the slot 13. The strength of this spring is suicient, when a normal load is upon this spoke, to hold the parts relatively in the position best seen in Fig. 6. In. other words, the spring permits the members of the spoke to telescope in either direction. If reater load is thrown onto the male mom er, it may descend and the shoulder 11 Will compress the spring upon the button 16 while its slot 13 moves down over the pin 20. At this time a similar spoke at the opposite side of the Wheel must necessarily expand in length, and therefore if the male member rise from the position shown in Fig. 6 so that its slot moves upward over the pin 20, the lin'ks 18 would cause the rise of the button 16, and the spring 19 would be compressed between the button and the pin 20. The spring spoke is thus rendered expansible or contractible within limits prescribed by the length of the slot 13 and the strength lof the spring and other parts, and the pivotal connection of its cranks 3 and 4 with the rim and hub, respectively, permits the relative movement of these parts which is essentiel in `a spring Wheel, the tie rods prohibiting such movement to a dan erous extent.

The bull'er Vest shown in Figs. B and 4 is illustrated as employed at four equidistant points upon the wheel of Fig. 1. Its purpose is to assist the spring spokes in times of emergency, as When the vehicle strikes an unusual obstruction or gully or is overloaded. Mounted preferably Within one of the depressions of the corrugated flange 2 b suitable means such as clips 21 is a barre 22 having an open mouth at its inner end and a transverse fixed pin "23 adjacent its mouth. Within the barrel is an expansive sprin 24. A plunger 25 is slidably mounted within'the mouth of the barrel, its body being slotted at 26 to loosely engage the pin 23, and its outer end resting on the spring 24. Its inner end may have a head 27. Secured in any appropriate manner to the hub or hub disk adacent said head is a bumper or stop 28. fn the normal position of the parts of this wheel the head and stop will not quite contact with each other, being spaced as seen in these views and Fig. 1 so that under ordinary vibrations ol. the spokes the buffers will not come into play; but it is quite obvious that any unusual or extraordinary relative movement of the parts Will cause the stop at the lower side of the hub to strike the head of the plunger beneath, and the plunger will descend into its barrel vas its spring permits.

It is Within the spirit of the invention that these devices could be detachable from the Wheel, so that they need be employed only in times of special stress. Also the specific construction of the buffers does not require the specific construction of telescopic spoke herein described, although some equivalent spoke should be employed to permit the successful operation of a slning wheel.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is.'

1. The combination With a hub and rim, of barrels carried by the rim, sprin s arran ed in said barrels, plungers carrled by sai barrels and eng-aged by said springs, stop elements carried by the hub, and yieldable spokes normally retaining said plungers in spaced relation to said stop elements.

2. The combination With a rim and a hub, of spokes connecting said rim and said hub and including slidably connected sections. a head. slidably arranged Within one section of each spoke, links 4connecting said heads to the other sections, and coil springs surrounding said links and confined between said heads and one of the sections of each spoke.

3. In a spring Wheel, a hub, and a rim connected therewith for limited relative radial movement; combined with stops carried by the hub near its periphery, and opposite each stop a barrel clipped to the rim and open at its radially inner end, a pin fixed across the barrel, a plunger telescopically mounted in the barrel and having a longitudinal slot embracing said fpnthe head of the plunger spaced from its stop under normal load on the Wheel and 'an eX- pansive spring in the barrel beneath the plunger.

4. A spring spoke comprising a male member having a hook at its inner end, a shoulder around the shank of the lhookand, having a slot through its body extending longitudinally to both lsides of said shoulder; a female member hearing 1a ydisimular body slidably lapping the male member and when the spoke is sustaining its normal 10 closed at its outer end; a button having a load.

hook, links loosely connectin said hooks; a In testimony whereof We affix our signapin passed through the fome e member and tures.

extending through said slot, and a helical GEORGE W. SHROPSHIRE. [11. 5.] spring Within the female member around THOMAS B. SHROPSHIRE.

said links and hooks, one end resting Witnesses:

against said button and the other a einst O. O. BRYAN,

said shoulder and also against sai pin J. N. PENDERGRASB. 

